When the posthouse was in chaos due to the sudden fire, in a warehouse in the back hall of the Governor's Mansion in the city, Ganzhou Governor Lei Sitong was taking Sun Bingchen to visit some of the Ye family's confiscated property in the warehouse...
At this time, the two men's entourage and servants quietly moved away from them, so that their conversation would not be heard by third parties.
"When we attacked the Ye family that day, we found the gold and silver stored in the Ye family's underground warehouse. The first soldiers who rushed in were stunned. They had never seen so many mountains of gold and silver piled up together in their lives..." The two walked slowly in the warehouse. Lei Sitong opened the boxes stacked more than two meters high next to him. In the firelight of the warehouse, the silver in the boxes emitted a layer of light, dazzling the eyes. "There are 1,171 such boxes in the underground warehouse of Yejiabao, with a total of 2.78 million taels of silver. Just to transport these boxes from Yejiabao, I have requisitioned more than 500 vehicles in Weiyuan County. Only part of them are placed in the warehouse here. There is still a lot of silver. I have asked people to transport it to Ganzhou City..."
Lei Sitong's tone was not clear whether he was happy or sighing. As he spoke, he opened a smaller box. When the box was opened, there was a dazzling golden light inside. Lei Sitong stretched out his hand and scooped up a handful of golden gold. Then it flowed through his fingers like fine sand, making a unique rustling sound. "Master Sun, do you know where this thing came from?"
Sun Bingchen also reached out his hand and took out a handful of fine sand from the box. He took a closer look. The thing in his hand was heavy and golden. It was gold sand. But if you look closely, in the light of the fire, the surface of the gold sand, in addition to the bright golden color, also has a layer of light red. This makes the gold sand look more gorgeous and colorful, with a layer of enchanting breath. Sun Bingchen let the thing slide from his palm and sighed slightly, "This should be the rose gold that is a specialty of the Shatu people..."
"Yes, this is the rose gold produced by the Shatu people. This rose gold is the same as ordinary gold, both are red gold, but because its color has an extra layer of rose red, it looks very special. Jewelry made of rose gold is more beautiful. In the Han Empire, it is more popular among women. Therefore, if the same weight of rose gold is converted into silver, it can be exchanged for half a cent more than ordinary gold!" Lei Sitong shook his head, "Lord Sun, do you know how much rose gold produced by the Shatu people we found in the Ye family this time?"
"I'm afraid there are quite a few?"
"Of course there are quite a few. We found more than 200 such boxes, with a total of more than 300,000 taels of rose gold in them. Just the wealth of the Ye family combined is not enough to pay out the military ranks for the Ganzhou army for ten years. All this money is the blood and sweat of the people of Ganzhou, especially the rose gold of the Shatu people, which is the most direct proof of the transactions between the Ye family and the Shatu people. The desert where the Shatu people live does not produce much iron, and weapons are very precious. I don't know how many swords and weapons the Ye family sold to the Shatu people to get so much rose gold from them. The Shatu people hold the swords and weapons obtained from the Ye family. If something happens in the future, I don't know how much blood of the people of the empire will be stained with. A big family like the Ye family is called a wealthy family, but it is actually maggots. Letting them stay will be a disaster!" When he said the latter, there was already a hint of cold murderous intent in Lei Sitong's tone.
"So, wasn't the Ye family expelled by Lord Lei?"
"But there is still one person alive in the Ye family, and that person is also a disaster!" Lei Sitong stopped and looked at Sun Bingchen, whose face was calm.
"I must bring Ye Tiancheng to the capital!" Sun Bingchen shook his head with a firm tone.
"Lord Sun, I'm afraid you can't bring Ye Tiancheng to the Imperial Capital!"
"Does Lord Lei want to keep Ye Tiancheng?" Sun Bingchen looked at Lei Sitong with eyes as sharp as swords, not giving in at all. The temperature between the two of them seemed to drop several degrees as soon as she said this.
"Even if Ye Tiancheng can get out of Ganzhou, does Lord Sun think he can reach the Imperial Capital alive?" Lei Sitong shook his head and said calmly, "The man in the Imperial Capital probably hopes that Ye Tiancheng will die on the road. Lord Sun wants to take Ye Tiancheng to the Imperial Capital, and that man knows it well. Lord Sun thinks that man will do nothing and wait in the Imperial Capital for you to bring Ye Tiancheng to the Imperial Capital safely? With that man's means and ability, the entire empire is nothing more than a chessboard. The Ye family went too far in Ganzhou, and he lost a game. Naturally, he can get it back somewhere else. The Ye family is useless to that man now, just like a discarded pawn. That man will not sacrifice himself for a discarded pawn!"
"I know!"
"Taking Ye Tiancheng back to the Imperial Capital is like taking a huge trouble with you. If Ye Tiancheng really dies in your hands, Lord Sun, that person might use this as an excuse to hold you responsible. Therefore, the best way is to let Ye Tiancheng die in Ganzhou, then there will be no trouble at all!"
Sun Bingchen was silent for a long time before he said quietly, "Your Majesty is still waiting for me to take my people back!"
Lei Sitong also sighed, "The decline of imperial power is not a one-day achievement. Even if Ye Tiancheng is brought to the Imperial Capital, so what? The situation in the Imperial Capital cannot be changed by a county governor who has committed a crime and exterminated his clan."
"Your Majesty has been very kind to me. The country is in a difficult situation right now. There are some things that need to be done, even if it means dying!"
Looking at Sun Bingchen's resolute face, Lei Sitong finally sighed and gave up trying to persuade Sun Bingchen. "When you finish your meal and go back, if Ye Tiancheng is not dead, I will not take action again. In addition, I will send troops to protect you throughout Ganzhou. After leaving Ganzhou, Lord Sun, take care of yourself!"
…
By the time Sun Bingchen, Liang Yiji and his party left the Governor's Mansion, two hours had passed. The night was dark and cold. They rode on rhinoceros horses along the streets of Weiyuan City. The sound of horse hooves was particularly loud in the silent night.
From the Governor's Mansion to the post station in the city, one has to cross almost half of Weiyuan City.
Liang Yijie, who was riding on the rhino horse, seemed a little anxious, "Sir, do you want me to go back and take a look first?"
"No need. It's already this time. Lord Lei has already used up all his tricks. We will know the result when we go back!" Sun Bingchen shook his head.
"I'm afraid Li Qiang can't handle it alone..."
"If that's the case, it's God's will!"
…
When Sun Bingchen and his party returned to the inn, they found it in chaos. The entire building where Ye Tiancheng was imprisoned had been half burned down, and seven or eight rooms had been reduced to nothing. In the burned ruins, the charred and collapsed wooden beams and pillars were still emitting smoke...
Seeing this scene, both Sun Bingchen and Liang Yiji felt a chill in their hearts.
"Where are Yan Liqiang and Ye Tiancheng? Are they okay?" As soon as he arrived here, Liang Yiji grabbed an accompanying guard officer and asked.
The guard officer, whose face still had the smell of fireworks, looked bitter and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
"Tell the truth!" Sun Bingchen's face suddenly darkened.
“This… when the fire started… everyone was busy putting out the fire… there was chaos in the post house, and by the time everyone reacted, Guard Yan and Ye Tiancheng had already… gone somewhere. We searched everywhere in the post house, but couldn’t find any trace of them. We only found these!” The officer said, and asked the person next to him to take out a pair of handcuffs and shackles. These things were worn on Ye Tiancheng, and for some reason, they had been opened.
"Ah, Yan Liqiang doesn't have the key to open the shackles on Ye Tiancheng. Are the two of them in trouble?" Liang Yiji asked anxiously.
"We didn't see them when the fire started, and there were no human remains in the room. They should... not have been killed!"
"Sir, I will go to the Governor's Mansion now..." Liang Yiji was indignant and clenched his fists tightly.
Sun Bingchen looked at the scene in the inn, then at the opened shackles, closed his eyes, and opened them after a few seconds. He took a deep breath and said, "Wait a moment..."
As soon as Sun Bingchen finished speaking, the two heard the guards at the entrance of the inn exclaim, "Ah, Guard Yan is back, back..."
When Liang Yiji heard this, he immediately rushed towards the entrance of the inn.
A few seconds later, Liang Yijie saw Yan Liqiang and Ye Tiancheng. Both of them had changed their clothes, wore hats, and had a lot of carbon ash on their faces. They were almost unrecognizable, especially Ye Tiancheng, who was no longer handcuffed and shackled. Yan Liqiang put one hand on Ye Tiancheng's waist and covered his hand with his sleeve. When they arrived at the posthouse, Yan Liqiang's hand left Ye Tiancheng's lower back, put away the dagger in his hand, and smiled at Liang Yijie, "Brother Liang, I'm glad you did your job well. I didn't lose Ye Tiancheng..."
Ye Tiancheng looked at Yan Liqiang with a complicated look and said nothing.
Liang Yijie patted Yan Liqiang's shoulder heavily, turned around and ordered, "Take Ye Tiancheng away..."
The guards and ceremonial guards around Sun Bingchen looked at Yan Liqiang in a different way than before.
Also in this inn, several people hiding among the servants in the inn looked at Ye Tiancheng and Yan Liqiang who appeared again, gritting their teeth and feeling a little discouraged. The servant who had brought food to Yan Liqiang looked at Ye Tiancheng who had appeared, his eyes turned cold, and he was about to take something out from under his sleeve, but a hand reached out from behind him and pressed on his shoulder. He also heard four words in his ear, "The master has ordered that this is the end..."
…
"Li Qiang, what happened just now..." A few minutes later, in Sun Bingchen's room, Sun Bingchen and Liang Yiji both stared at Yan Liqiang with shining eyes, as if there was a flower on Yan Liqiang's face.
Yan Liqiang touched his nose and said, "It's nothing, I just improvised and played a little game with some people..."
After listening to Yan Liqiang's account of what happened, Sun Bingchen and Liang Yijie's eyes on Yan Liqiang also changed...
(End of this chapter)